Groomsmen's Blog

Relieve Wedding Planning Stress with Poker

Grooms, are you having stress? If so, don’t fret – you’re not alone! New research shows that many men about to tie the knot are becoming overwhelmed with planning the big day. What, wait a minute; planning for the big day -- isn’t this the bride’s job? Well, today, more and more men are stepping up to tackle many of the tasks that have once been handled by the woman in the relationship, from picking out the wedding menu to picking up relatives at the airport.

It only makes sense that the more involved the role a guy plays in the wedding planning, the higher his stress in making related decisions. Thirty-two percent of the recently married men surveyed said that planning a wedding was “overwhelming” compared to 42% of women reporting the same stress load. While women are still the chief wedding planners, many men are taking on all they can do to help ease the stress for their partners. Thirty nine percent of men say they were solely or mostly responsible for picking the ceremony site and 25% reported that they were solely or mostly responsible for picking out bridal party gifts in addition to their own groomsmen gifts. Can you even believe that 19% of guys said they had the majority of the responsibility of choosing the bride’s wedding dress!

With this increased role in the getting hitched process may require extra rest and relaxation! And, while you’re still a bachelor is an optimal time to get all the rest in you can. Groomstand.com has a great idea to relieve your stress – playing poker! If the bride to be scoffs at the idea poker is a stress reliever, she can be stopped in her tracks with science!

A recent study, conducted by a university in Canada, showed that playing poker as a hobby does, in fact, alleviate stress brought on by both personal and work pressure. Intuitively this does not make sense; it seems that all the strategy and bluffing of the game is stressful in itself. Scientists measured the stress hormone called cortisol among men at the beginning of a Texas Hold ‘em poker game. After a few games, cortisol was measured again and scientists discovered that the levels dropped by 17% compared to the level at the beginning of the game. The hypothesis is that the intense concentration it takes to play poker takes the mind of other worries, thereby lowering cortisol levels (eg: stress).

GroomStand.com is ready to help you shut out stress with one of our many personalized poker sets. Ask our bride to give you one of these comprehensive kits as an early gift for the groom. Check out our varied options including a professional poker set in aluminum briefcase and handsome executive-class leather poker set. We also have dozens of personalized poker sets that pay tribute to specific hobbies, interests and sports – these make great groomsmen gifts for the guys. Really, we’re not bluffing; call up your buddies and organize a poker night sometime before the wedding – but not the night before! And, to keep stress levels in check during your marriage, work out a schedule with your new wife that lets you keep poker night going strong - even if it’s one night a month you host poker and one night a week she hosts book club.

Besides poker, do you have any ideas for reducing wedding planning stress in grooms? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks!